Steph Curry Reveals Heartfelt Advice For Young Sharks Star Macklin Celebrini

Steph Curry reveals heartfelt advice for young Sharks star Macklin Celebrini originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Superstar NHL center Macklin Celebrini is looking like the next big thing in Bay Area sports for the up-and-coming Sharks.

So, it’s only right that Warriors legend Steph Curry — one of the region’s greatest faces in sports history — passes down some nuggets about embracing local greatness to San Jose’s cornerstone.

Curry shared his advice for Celebrini in an exclusive interview with NBC Sports Bay Area’s Monte Poole and Bonta Hill for the latest edition of “Dubs Talk.”

“Patience is the hard thing for a young guy coming into a tough situation, where your team hasn’t won in a long time, [and it’s] trying to figure out the right identity, the right combination of guys that could get to that next level, become a playoff team and take the necessary steps,” Curry told Poole and Hill. 

“It’s really hard in the moment, when he works as hard as he does and you approach the game like he does.”

Curry believes the 19-year-old needs to have a big-picture vision, as the Sharks, despite their fun start to the 2025-26 NHL season, still have a way to go before they reach their peak of the Celebrini Era.

The sharpshooter would know. 

Curry has won four NBA Finals throughout his 17-year career in the Bay. But at the start, the Warriors weren’t contenders, as it took three seasons for Curry to reach the playoffs for the first time and three more campaigns before Golden State hoisted the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy.

Fortunately for Curry, he has had the chance to talk to Macklin, in addition to routinely speaking with his father, Rick, who is the Warriors’ director of sports medicine and performance.

“I got to talk to [Macklin] a couple times,” Curry said. “I talk to Rick every day; when I’m on the table, I’m like, ‘How’s Mack doing?’ So, I’m getting all that intel. But it’s just hard to keep that tunnel vision on, continue to get better, continue to keep your joy for the game through all the ups and downs of a tough team situation early in your career. 

“That’s one thing we both have in common, in the sense of what my first three years looked like with the Warriors. Good comes with good, and if he stays the course … hopefully he’s a lifer in San Jose, and they’re able to figure out the right roster that he can help elevate and get to that next level, and continue to adapt from there.”

It appears that Celebrini and the Sharks will be running the NHL sooner rather than later.

But before then, Curry hopes Celebrini understands that consistent winning will come with time — even if that’s a hard pill to swallow.

“But don’t lose your joy though it all, because it’s tough in the beginning when all you want to do is win,” Curry said. “It’s kind of out of your control, but if you can keep getting better through it …”

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